


Half of an Exo

by Narvaighah



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Cayde lives, Game: Destiny 2: Forsaken DLC, Grief/Mourning, Mild Hurt/Comfort, This is more of an excuse to write his last stand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22042945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narvaighah/pseuds/Narvaighah
Summary: Cayde-6 had made it out of the Prison of Elders alive, but his ghost didn't.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Half of an Exo

**Author's Note:**

> Another one of those "Forsaken but Cayde lives" typa fanfics, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless!

Cayde had found himself drifting off into his own thoughts, leaning on the railing of the Tower while staring off into the dusk that framed the Traveller. Back then- even now- he’d be itching to sneak off from his Vanguard duties, to go on dangerous missions or anything to feel the rush he once had in his glory days. After the events of the Prison of Elders though, his ghost’s light had been snuffed by one of Uldren’s own Barons, leaving him far more vulnerable than he ever felt. Sure, there were events like Oryx and the Red War, but Sundance was always there by his side. Now, she is gone, and so is Cayde’s light, forcing him to stay in the confines of his Vanguard role and the Tower, unless absolutely necessary.

It had been over a year now since he had almost died, but he’d frequently think back to the day where he lost the other half of himself. The way that life seemed to play in slow motion as Sundance’s shell had been destroyed and her light faded. He thought how maybe, just _maybe_ how things could have gone differently, if he hadn’t pulled a risky stunt like sending the security hub crashing through all the floors of the prison. Different scenarios of that same event played over and over in his mind, like a scratched vinyl record. He could have let Uldren escape, could have fled, could have-

“Cayde, I didn’t expect you here.” His trail of thoughts were broken by someone approaching his side. Turning, he saw that it had been Voxel, the same guardian who had saved him. The Warlock gave a faintly sympathetic smile towards him, almost as if he knew what Cayde was thinking about.

“Hey, V! Yeah, I just- wanted some fresh air. Ya know how crowded the Hangar can get.”

“That is true.” Voxel’s gaze landed on the Traveller, where Cayde’s were also fixed, arms folded behind him as if copying his own mentor’s body language. “The Hunters in my fireteam had sent you the reports on their recent strike, but they had sent me to make sure you had received them.”

“Yeah, I got them, I’ll…” The exo let out a noise similar to a sigh as he let his shoulders drop. “I’ll go over ‘em later.” A silence fell between the two, and moments later the thoughts came back into his mind, having nothing to distract himself with. It almost felt like yesterday when his other half died off.

* * *

_Blue light filled the spacious room and faded as soon as it came, Cayde finding himself on the ground clutching onto the remains of Sundance. He felt the same emptiness that had engulfed him when he had lost his light back in the Red War, but back then she was by his side. Now, even she was gone, the shards of her empty shell clutched in the right hand of Cayde’s. The Rifleman had taken Sundance down faster than he could have processed. He held the remains of Sundance close to his chest, feeling small sobs rack his body, not paying mind to the Scorn that are surrounding him._

_Soon, the grief that filled him has faded, as anger towards the Barons, anger towards_ Uldren _now rising within him, fueling him to take out every last one of those ugly bastards in the room. His light had faded, he was surely a gone man now, but that wouldn’t stop Cayde from taking out at least one of the Scorn surrounding him. One of the Barons leapt down from their perch and slowly approached the vulnerable Hunter, a weapon in hand that was even bigger than Cayde._

_“I’m coming home, Ace.” He whispered his last words to his gun, the Ace of Spades, before aiming down onto the Baron. Before he could even pull the trigger, the flaming mace collided with his side, sending him through the wall of the prison escape pod that he had been there to guard from Uldren. Coughs racked his body as the Hunter tried to get himself up from the floor, stopping when the prince alone approached him, realizing that his gun had been knocked from him during the collision._

_“Hey, d-do you have a gun i could- could borrow?” The supposedly simple sentence was interrupted by another wave of coughs taking over him._

_“No, but I do have a bullet…” The prince said, looking over the gun in his hand. Cayde realized it was his gun by the time Uldren pointed it at him. “With your name on it.”_

_“Any second now, my partner’s gonna roll in here and kill every last_ one _of you.” He could barely get the sentence out of his mouth, his body fighting against him with all the damage done to him. Cayde gave up on the fight to get myself back up, even if he was only on his elbows, and landed back on the ground._ Please, let him get here on time.

_“Any last words?” Uldren had now aimed his gun towards Cayde’s chest, going for the kill. Cayde propped himself onto his elbows, against his body’s will, and looked straight into his eyes to say something back, but was stopped by the sound of two gunshots going off._

_Someone out of his line of vision had shot Uldren in his leg, causing him to flinch and end up shooting the Hunter’s shoulder instead of anything vital. After the shock of the bullet ripping through his mechanisms, Cayde had looked over to where the shot had come from. Lo and behold, Voxel was standing in the main doorway of the room, a stream of smoke rising from the barrel of his scout rifle. The Barons who had been previously spectating from the confines of the open escape pod began to act, but were abruptly stopped by him sending another shot to the door’s panel, closing them off from the room._

_“What were you thinking, Cayde?!”_

_“I dunno, but- h-hey, ya got me in time-” More coughs erupted from him as he slumped back into the ground, using the last bit of his energy to clutch at the bullet wound in his shoulder. The Warlock quickly grew concerned as he knelt down beside Cayde and pulled out his own ghost._

_“There’s nothing I can do as of now. Though, nothing vital of Cayde is damaged beyond repair.” Voxel’s ghost said as they finished scanning him, a sigh of relief coming from the Warlock beside him._

_“Good, good.” Voxel took his helmet off, wiping the sweat from his face. Now with his helmet off, Cayde could see the worry on the Warlock’s face, feeling a tinge of guilt pull at his chest._

_“But… His light is gone. There is no trace of it or Sundance for that matter. We will have to take him back to the Tower and get someone to heal him.”_

_“Oh my…” His gaze fell from his ghost to Cayde now, the guilt mirroring each other’s expressions. “Cayde, I… Maybe if I had gotten here sooner…”_

_“Don’t. It’s a-already done now.” The coughing had stopped, instead replaced by labored breathing from Cayde. “Just- get me back.”_

_The Warlock nodded and ordered his ghost to transmat him to Voxel’s ship. The last thing Cayde had saw of the prison was Petra Veng, the prison guard, running into the scene as Voxel had approached the incapacitated prince._

* * *

“Cayde, are you alright?” The replay of Sundance’s death and him almost following her was broken by the feel of a hand on his shoulder and the words of Voxel, still standing beside him. “You have spaced out for quite a while.”

“Oh, yeah I’m good, I just…” He had turned to look towards Voxel, his expression carrying the same concern as when he saw him almost dead. “Just miss her.” Before he could stop himself, Cayde had started to ramble on about Sundance. “She was always there, has been since she revived me all those years ago. She was more than a friend, she was _part_ of me, but now-”

“I know.” His rambing was stopped by Voxel pulling the Vanguard into a hug, one of his hands patting him on the back. “It has been loss after loss for us, for Guardians.” Cayde returned the embrace, making sure that his horn doesn’t accidentally stab Voxel. 

“It’s- it’s different with this. I feel like a part of me died back there, V.” The Warlock could only give a hum in acknowledgement, holding onto him for a few moments longer before breaking the hug to look at Cayde in the eyes.

“Just know, even with Sundance gone, you will always have people here for you. They may never know you as personally as she did, but there are people willing to help you, remember that for me.”

“Alright, now this is getting mushy.”

“I am serious, Cayde-6.”

“Ok ok, don’t break the number out on me, V, I get it.” The Vanguard let out a small chuckle as he passed by Voxel, patting his shoulder while doing so. “And thanks, needed to hear that.” He had made some distance between the two of them before the Warlock said something back.

“Make sure you also look at the reports!” Voxel had his hands cupped as he hollered to Cayde, the distance now being the whole Courtyard.

“I will, alright?” Cayde yelled back after a pause, almost forgetting the reason why Voxel had started a conversation in the first place. A grin had settled itself onto his face as Cayde made his way back to his usual post at the Hangar, his hand subconsciously travelling to the pocket in which he kept Sundance’s shards. Even if he had lost Sundance, he would still have Guardians like Voxel, and that was good enough for him. 


End file.
